Latest news with #SchoolEducationDepartment
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Writers, progressive thinkers oppose reduction of SSLC pass percentage in Karnataka
Writers, progressive thinkers, and educationists have opposed the reduction of the pass percentage in Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exams in Karnataka from 35 to 33. Writers K. Marulasiddappa, S.G. Siddaramaiah; progressive thinkers K.S. Vimala, Babu Mathew, Janagere Venkataramaiah, Sripada Bhat, K.M. Vishwanath Marathur, educationists V.P. Niranjanaradhya, and others have written a letter to the Chief Minister expressing concern that the quality of education will decline due to this decision of the School Education Department. They also urged the State government for withdrawal of the recent gazette notification in this regard. According to the new rules, the students will pass SSLC exam if they get a minimum of 30 marks out of 100 in a subject. This means that if a student scores 20 out of 20 in the internal exam, and only 10 out of 80 in the external exam, the student will be declared as pass. 'Many students who scored 20 out of 20 in the internals during the last examination, did not get the minimum marks in the external exam. We don't understand the quality index in place here, where the benchmark of true quality of learning is an external test, and scoring just 10 marks in it is enough,' they argued.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Teachers freed from P4 linked pressure
There is a growing resentment among teacher unions in the state against what they call 'pressure being mounted on them to register as 'mentors' or 'guides' under the 'P4' (Public-Private-People-Participation) initiative.' In view of this, Secretary, School Education, Kona Sashidhar has issued a circular strictly instructing district Collectors not to involve principals, headmasters or teachers of government schools and colleges in any activity not related to the School Education Department. Mr. Sasidhar pointed out that it was brought to the notice of the government that Collectors and certain departments in a few districts were asking principals, headmasters and teachers of government schools and colleges to upload data related to their departments without the notice of the School Education Department. He said this was causing a hindrance to the regular academic activities in the respective institutions and asked the district officials to desist from involving teachers. Leaders of the Andhra Pradesh Teachers Federation (APTF), meanwhile, have welcomed the move stating that this would end the prevailing confusion among teachers. It may be noted that in the wake of the launch of P4 initiative and the government urging all departments to become part of the poverty-eradication drive, a few District Education Officers (DEOs), after receiving instructions by the Collectors, sent links to headmasters and teachers asking them to register as 'mentors' and adopt families under the initiative within a stipulated deadline. The move drew flak from teacher unions which insisted that pressure to adopt families was unacceptable and that the 'p4' programme should be implemented on voluntary basis.
The Hindu
18 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
A.P. sets Guinness World Record for organising world's largest PTM
Andhra Pradesh achieved a Guinness World Record for hosting the largest parent-teacher meeting (PTM) on July 10 which saw the participation of over 5.34 million parents and teachers across 61,000 schools. The mega PTM organised across the State by the School Education Department has been recognised by the Guinness World Record authorities. The Guinness World Records officials announced on Monday that A.P. had organised the world's largest PTM, with a total footfall of 1.5 crore attendees, including parents, teachers, students, alumni, school management representatives and school management committee members, besides philanthropists. Expressing happiness over the global recognition, Minister for Human Resource Development Nara Lokesh dedicated it to all teachers who worked relentlessly for the success of the event. He said that the record was officially communicated after meticulous audit of data from Mega PTM 2.0. Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao explained that over 40 auditors appointed by the Guinness World Records worked day and night to evaluate the data related to the event collected from over 61,000 schools to confirm the award. He said that the global recognition would help the State Education Department to design an Andhra model of public education system which would stand out in terms of quality and other key aspects. Mr. Rao said that the official Guinness World Record would be awarded to the State authorities in the second week of August at a special programme scheduled to be held in Amaravati.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Readers urge revival of 'Friends of Library' scheme in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: Readers in Coimbatore have urged the Directorate of Public Libraries (DPL), functioning under the School Education Department, to revive the 'Friends of Library' scheme to promote reading habits and strengthen public library services, particularly among the youth. Implemented in 2023, the scheme aimed to enhance access to books and encourage library membership through the involvement of volunteers. However, it was discontinued within the same year, allegedly due to administrative lapses and lack of coordination, readers said. P Sivaramakrishnan, an avid reader from the city, told TNIE that the scheme had been well received by the public. 'Its primary objective was to extend quality library services to the general public and younger generation. Volunteers were appointed to distribute up to 25 books in their respective localities, collect them after a month, and return them to the libraries. In addition, they created awareness about the importance of reading,' he said.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Teachers get warning on attendance
Indore: Low attendance reporting by teachers through the mandated "Humare Shikshak App" prompted the Commissioner of Indore Division to issue a strict directive to education officials, warning that non-compliance could result in withheld salaries for the month of July. Commissioner Deepak Singh on Friday directed that 100% teacher attendance must be ensured in all govt and aided schools across the division through the "Humare Shikshak App," which is available on Education Portal 3.0. Education department officers were instructed to verify and certify that the app is being used consistently and correctly in their respective districts by July 31, 2025. A written certificate of full compliance has to be submitted to the Commissioner's office, failing which the salaries of defaulting officials and teachers will not be released. During a divisional review meeting of the School Education Department, it was found that many schools under Indore Division were not recording attendance on time through the prescribed app. Despite instructions issued on June 20, 2025, by the Commissioner, Public Education Directorate, Bhopal, for the implementation of the app from July 1, several districts were lagging behind in adherence. The commissioner addressed the directive to all District Education Officers, Project Coordinators under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and Deputy Commissioners of the Tribal Welfare and Development Department, instructing them to take immediate action. The move is part of a broader effort to digitise administrative processes in the education sector and ensure teacher accountability and timely classroom engagement.
